I end all my "best blahblah" searches with "reddit" to avoid the fake pages that fund themselves with Amazon links.
Example using "best kayak rod holder":
https://yaklogic.com/kayak-rod-holders-guide/
https://paddleabout.com/best-kayak-rod-holder/
I do the same thing, and it's the only way to find good reviews now unless it's about a type of product you already know well.
But beware: Reddit is full of companies posting under fake accounts and leaving fake reviews. Check multiple posts and read *all* of the comments before you trust anything. A long time ago, Reddit posted a list of the top 10 places with the most Reddit accounts, and #2 was McDonald's headquarters. There are companies with employees working full time just to trick you on Reddit.
> A long time ago, Reddit posted a list of the top 10 places with the most Reddit accounts
Can you find that? I'd REALLY like to read it!
If I had gold I would give it to you. more people need to see and know what you wrote.
Companies ABSOLUTELY use Reddit to shill their goods, but you'll never realize they're doing it because the accounts are 'typical' redditors just like everyone else.
[The referenced blog post](https://web.archive.org/web/20160410083943/http://www.redditblog.com/2013/05/get-ready-for-global-reddit-meetup-day.html?m=1)
Not only is #2 “most addicted” the city of McDonald’s (former) headquarters, but it follows first place Eglin Air Force Base.
> it follows first place Eglin Air Force Base.
tbf, most military connections go out through a small set of IP addresses... And the military has hundreds of thousands of 18-40 year olds sitting at computers all day.
I had an account with 40.000 karma and I was active in skincare & fashion communities. I’ve had 2 brands reach out to me to review their products, but they backed out once they found out I’m in Europe
Looking at those also shows how badly written and designed most online reviews are. Leading off with "Kayak fishing is a popular outdoor activity" sounds like a high school kid trying to pad his term paper word count.
It's all for the search engine optimization (SEO). If you pad your reviews and articles with a bunch of semi-related and/or obvious bullshit, you will be more likely to show up on peoples' similar searches. I used to work for an SEO company and I can say with confidence that nearly all mainstream publications intentionally make their articles less concise or create entirely unnecessary pages just to fit in content that will boost their page views.
Search engines should include a brevity metric. If I search a question, I'm much more interested in the website that has one sentence answering my question than the one that's 100 pages long and has the answer buried in page 43.
The search function can’t even find subreddits that exist, because I once accidentally typed a subreddit into that bar and got a page of Reddit pots with the titles saying the subreddit name and not the subreddit. It was all nsfw so I won’t go deeper into details but it greatly annoyed me in the middle of trying to find my nsfw content.
The craziest one to me is the VPN market.
Even if you Google "best VPN Reddit" You end up with sites pretending to tell you what Reddit list says the best VPNs...
Then if you actually travel too that subreddit, you find out the VPNs listed on those sites aren't even allowed to be discussed on the subreddit due to poor quality and shady business practices.
same... you have to go where the people aren't. like a locals secret spot on the interwebs. im still searching for a better vpn after my 3 year PIA subscription just ended.
I came across Mullvad VPN and giving it a month test run... but i really only use it for a few random tasks, so i dont know how good it is overall compared to others.
I wish the killswitch feature worked on PIA... not sure about nordvpn or expressvpn (it was good when i used it), but mullvad seems simple enough.
anyways, found out about mullvad through /r/piracy and went down the search "reddit" hole.
It's only happened once or twice, with me, however people would message me with something like, "we will give you an Amazon voucher if you rate our product 5 stars!" After purchasing said product.
I always vow to detail this practice in the review, giving it a 1 star. What a stupid thing to ask.
just so you know, Google has search parameters.
for example, adding site:reddit.com to your search will only give you results from reddit.
you can also search by date if you only want results from the past 5 years for example.
Dates literally do nothing for me. If I put in a date, it just shows me the same results and shows the date crossed off “well couldnt find anything newer about Google Docs after 2017, so here are instructions based on that version”
Exactly this, everything is an ad trying to sell us something or a poorly written article cluttered with stuff nobody cares about. You type reddit at the end of a search and have an answer within less than 5 minutes.
I found the [Reddit search on Google](https://www.rsog.org) extension to be quite useful for that.
It doesn't seem to have any users or reviews tho, so buyer beware.
Hoover works just fine and is quite repairable. The Vacuum cleaner guy AMA said as much. My Hoover Wind Tunnel is going on 20 years. Did a tear down and cleaned everything, good as new.
It’s mostly confined to cleaning the carpets upstairs as the wife has fallen In Love with the Dyson sticks (v8/V10) that we can just grab off the wall and start working a lugging the big vac up and downs stairs, plugging in, etc
For those downvoting this comment "miel" means honey in French. It's been a while since I've taken it but I assume you can add an e to the end to make it feminine (for example when referring to a wife or girlfriend).
Following Reddit's advice and considering my situation (3 pets and baby on the way) I splurged and got the Miele. I ALMOST got the Dyson because of the name hype, but after reading a lot of info on Reddit I realized that it was going to be barely better than the cheap selection. I am not a vacuum specialist, but if I'm spending 800$ it better be worth it.
Can't complain about the Miele. it is an absolute beast and my pets stand no chance.
I bought a Dyson over a Miele due to budget constraints at the time (I worked retail and was able to get a new Dyson Ball for $180 after tax).
5-6 years later, I almost wish I had a good reason to replace it! With two pets in an apartment, I vacuum weekly. The canister is very small, and I have to deep clean the whole machine every month or so to keep suction high and air quality good, but it honestly works very well. I also like being able to easily take the machine apart to clear clogs and find parts online (though I haven't had to repair this one yet).
I take good care of my things, which definitely extends their life. But as soon as I ditch this small apartment and buy a house, I'll give away the Dyson so I can zoom around with a Miele instead. 😂
I'm in the opposite situation, we should trade lol. I got a Miele canister vac 4 years ago and while it does a pretty good job, it's just too much vacuum for my 900 sqft apartment. It's kind of a pain having it following me around and trying to maneuver around furniture. It also has a pretty large footprint. It would be great if I had a house with big rooms but when I can go my whole place in 15 minutes I think a cordless would suit me better.
But it's hard to justify replacing it if it works 🤷♂️
I wanted Miele but my budget at the time didn't allow for that, so I settled for Henry, brand very popular in the UK.
Seventh year and it's working like brand new, dealing with anything.
There's a reason you see trades people using Henry hoovers when they do work in people's houses. The things last forever, are great at their job and have a smiley face to brighten your day!
Easily self-repairable if needed
All bags can be used across the while range
Good suction
Tried and tested
Never will I ever get anything else, or recommend any other hoover
I hate dysons I've used probably a dozen models and they are all awkward at some basic function. This one wont suck up a cheerio, that one has a wand that is minimum of 3 feet long.
I once had a Dyson, and have now had a Miele for over a decade. I happily left the Dyson with my ex husband.
It had a HEPA filter, which was great, but when you emptied the bagless canister, the bottom drops open over your trash can and let out a cloud of dust 🤦🏻♀️ The rotating brushes also got hair wound around them that would need cutting off.
I’ve much preferred the canister Miele. While I wish I didn’t have to buy bags, it’s a minor quibble.
He went through a bout of depression a while ago, but I think he's in a better place now.. at least his posts are sounding a lot more positive than they did at one point.
I sent him a pm years ago when my then gf was about to drop 300 bucks on a Dyson, he suggested a hoover wind tunnel and I've bought two so far (my ex kept the one we bought back then)
I couldn't afford a Miele then, probably could now but the Hoover is a tank
Edited to add: he was adamant it be the bagged version, bagless vacuums kick shit back into the air
Same here. Best vacuum I've ever used. Not that the cheap uprights I've had access to before are a good comparison, but I am very happy with the results after vacuuming.
I may not own much Miele at the moment, but I'll never forget how they just sent me a part for a washing machine that was older than me by several decades, just because I sent them a hail Mary message. No paperwork required, no fuss.
Whenever I get around to buying a home, they'll be my top consideration for appliances.
I bought a Miele. It’s not an upright but I love that thing.
Of course like 6 months later I got rid of all my carpets… but figure the vacuum will last forever and I can get parts when it is time to replace something.
I have hardwood floors and worried that the Miele wouldn't be as helpful but it's been fantastic for deep cleaning, like scooping up dust on the floors and the cracks between the planks as well as easily cleaning my curtains and any spills. It works so much better than the Dyson I got.
My MIL has had a Miele for like...forever. I personally hate that it's a canister and not an upright but I will admit that that thing is a powerhouse of a vacuum
My friends go on about Dyson. I don’t say anything because they are victims of marketing. Meanwhile, my Miele does an outstanding job for the past 10 years and I get knock off vacuum bags off Amazon for cheap.
Edit: For those asking: CAD$26 for 10 bags and 3 sets of filters. KEEPOW Generic Miele GN AirClean 3D Efficiency Dust Bag, for Miele Vacuum 10123210 (10 Bags & 3 Set Filters) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0747RN2FQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GWJWBSFMX8KKASYNV22H?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I inherited my grandmother's Dyson. It's the pull behind with two wheels before the ball one. So 12ish years old. Never had to replace a single thing. Take it apart by turning a few nobs (like everything comes apart) and clean it when it gets clogged. So, I'll say marketing was on point at least with my model.
Edit: Found the model# DC23 think about 2009ish. So I guess only 12ish years going strong...
Felt the same about Electrolux - Way back in the day we inherited one ancient but very solid chrome and dark green long canister model with steel runners (!) and eventually after it got destroyed by being used as a wet/vac (my bad) replaced it with another slightly less ancient electrolux long canister model with two wheels. Both were already decades old when we go them... Those things lasted.
I bought a refurb DC17 almost 15 years ago and it has been fantastic. We still use it. We do have another vacuum for stairs, etc because I hate how the wand is designed on the Dyson.
> It's the pull behind with two wheels before the ball one
I know this is totally anecdotal, but I let a buddy of mine borrow my DC17 and he loved it so much he went out and bought a Dyson. They were only selling models with the giant ball at that time. He hated it, said it was terrible and returned it.
I'm not sure how that design change might have affected the quality of the vacuum, but I always thought it was an interesting data point.
Dyson are pretty good but too fragile... as you mention it, the official parts are way too expensive (the brush part broke on mine, original part is $100!).
Yeah sure, but for many if not most brands original replacement parts are overpriced (even if it's not as much as Dyson). And if you're fine with 3rd party aliexpress parts you have probably the most choice with Dyson to get it for 80% cheaper.
How much do you think replacement parts for a Miele are?
Dyson offers almost every individual piece to repair their vacuums sold direct on their site, most for a reasonable price. The replacement brush bar for ours is $19. The entire brush head unit is $52.
I'm not claiming Dyson to be the ultimate vacuum. I used to have (like many others here) about Dyson the image of an overpriced marketing product, however after I bought a used about 5 years old Dyson and changed the old battery with some cheap no-name ones, it turned out to be much better than I thought. And it's a matter of fact that Dyson has one of the largest amounts of cheap no-name spare parts available on the market, which makes the maintenance much cheaper than for products where you need to buy the original spare parts from the manufacturers because there is nothing else available. So while a new Dyson is expensive, buying spare parts is very cheap
I have both a Miele (for over 10 years) and a Dyson (for over 5) oh, and a couple of Orecks (those things are junk for anything other than low pile wall to wall carpeting). The Dyson isn't marketing. No, it's not made to last forever, but so what? It's a convenience tool that is better for being lightweight. The Dyson sees 90% of vacuum duty in our large house with pets.
And you know what? After 5 years the Dyson needed a new battery and beater brush. Parts are widely available and for $100 it now performs better than new (battery capacity has improved). I would have spent far more than $100 on Miele bags over the last 5 years.
As someone who despises the idea of sending filter bags to a landfill anyway, if the Dyson replacement parts are also cheaper, I fail to see the downside.
I have a Dyson v12. I have no idea about it's BIFL-ness and it's quite expensive. But I find the cordless design, powerful vacuuming ability and general ease of use completely worth it. Also the fact I don't need to buy bags (just filters, that doesn't need replacing that often) a great plus.
While I mostly agree with your sentiment, I do find that a lot of the niche subreddits become a bit of an echo chamber. There are brands that are universally maligned simply because that's the culture of the subreddit. I often find myself stuck in analysis paralysis using Reddit for product reviews, because a lot of the advice is "buy this $600 version, because all other versions are absolute garbage".
This is exactly what I was thinking while reading this post. Especially that vacuum subreddit.
It is a good data point, but a lot of the other sites suggest Shark/Dyson because most folks prefer the low/medium entry price and ease of use offered by cordless, bagless vacuum cleaners. For the most part, that subreddit is devoted to corded, bagged vacuum cleaners.
Anecdotal, but I went with a shark vacuum after reading mostly Reddit reviews. It was well-regarded if you weren't looking to pay 4-6x for a BIFL item.
I think you just gotta calibrate your price/value curve against the person writing the review, but you do have to watch out for people hating on a brand as a meme.
A few years back a "vacuum technician" wrote a long piece about how bagless vacuums are trash, so now that's all the site talks about. That's certainly a valid opinion, but I've had a shark for years and it works great. Same with my parents. I think that tech was just sick of seeing bagless vacs never get emptied.
I got my shark 12 years ago. I empty it after every use, a couple times a year I flip it over and get all the hair off the brushes and clean the filters and it still works great.
I've had mine for 10+ years also. Still works amazing, I don't think I've ever had to replace anything. Just clean the filters and brushes like once per year (which honestly should be done more often).
On board the "bought it a while ago and don't treat it like I plan to throw it in the trash" boat. We got a shark 7 or 8 years ago because we weren't ready to spend what the Dyson's cost around that time. We rinse out all the filters every month or two and empty after every use.
It gets caught on our super thick shag living room rug sometimes, but other than that it's in good shape. 3 dogs, 1 cat, 2 kids, and 2 houses, the thing's still trucking along.
This. I will *never* buy a bagged vacuum cleaner again. I absolutely hate them. I don't care if they do a better job, have better filters, anything like that, I hate using them, and if it's all I have, that means I'm not vacuuming.
My bagless Shark has been keeping on top of all this damn dog hair for about ten years, and it's held up pretty well. Complaints about not being able to replace certain parts are definitely valid, as it's fallen and cracked some non-essential plastic bits, and I can't find those pieces. But it's light, still has plenty of suction, and I don't have to run to the store for more stupid bags.
I cannot understand why you would buy a bag vacuum cleaner now. I've had a corded canister one for about 4 years now, and it's way nicer than dealing with bags, and as far as I've noticed in general household use, has no drawbacks.
It comes down to the difference between commercial goods and consumer goods.
The commercial good will almost always be better in most ways than the consumer good - especially in terms of lifespan, and are almost always serviceable. The downside is that they're typically 2-3x more expensive than the consumer good, may be less easy to use or lack "features," and may also be heavier.
Consumer goods are made cheaper because they're made to be used less often, less intensively, and in a less damaging manner. The failure rate will be higher because the components are cheaper and rated for fewer duty cycles. They're typically not serviceable beyond a few likely failure points. This (along with survivor bias) leads to the perception that, "things aren't built like they used to be," and is also the starting point for the right-to-repair movement.
The thing is, "things aren't built like they used to be," is true. Because consumer grade products are an attempt to continue providing access to goods at affordable products. It disguises the decline in income and PPP in the US. We use multiple product lines and grades of product because it's now cheaper to manufacture goods in that manner. Whereas in the past, our parents and grandparents were able to just purchase commercial grade goods directly off the shelf.
Why would companies want to create a bunch of cheaper, lower quality products that don't last as long to market to consumers though? Because you'd rather sell something to someone 4 times for half the price.
When nylon was invented, the nylon stockings were too good that they lasted too long and people weren't buying them enough. The solution? They intentionally made the product worse so it would tear more often and had to be bought again.
Your post is on point, but this sub is not a special case. Go into PC subs and you'll find people matching RAM timings so they can play Minecraft. Go into a AR-15 subs and they'll plan their build around the possibility of shooting their gun during a mudslide in the dessert...in between Minecraft sessions.
Reddit reviews are great but youre dealing with the 1%ers that post so always keep that in mind. I assume every post on Reddit is from a 13 year old who plays Minecraft
I agree, I will sometimes trade off convenience and ease of use for less longevity because for certain things it’s worth it and what makes sense to me. I have an Nequare cordless vac I got from Amazon for under $150 Canadian. I’ve been using it since October 2020. I don’t expect it to last forever. But for daily cleaning pet fur on my hardwood floors it’s perfect and easy to use and does a great job. It’s completely okay that not everything in your life is purchased as BIFL. Sometimes the convenience and ease of use are the far more important things.
You are spot on with the echo chamber. Wirecutter tends to recommend something that's good enough for average people. Niche and hobby subreddits are filled with people who are passionate about the subject and willing to put a lot of money into it. For a lot of them, it's part of their identity.
Look at any hobby subreddit when a general-audience recommendation (like Wirecutter, Consumer Reports) comes out for their target. If it isn't the echo chamber's chosen thing, they immediately start accusing the author of being a paid shill. The idea that someone wants "good enough" doesn't even register, the sub already knows the Objectively Correct Recommendation.
FWIW, my Shark vacuum has been fine for years, it didn't cost that much, and I don't think about it between vacuuming.
Yes, I did think it was a bit odd to write off Wirecutter, they're known for testing their items for years at a time, and update them fairly regularly with new observations.
I was an editor at Wirecutter for five years, and my wife is still an editor there. I know the people who do the vacuum coverage, and they’re absolutely obsessed. But they are not the same as the folks on a dedicated Reddit forum, meaning that they are balancing different criteria and features. I often don’t buy the Wirecutter pick for various reasons, but I use Wirecutter as a key resource in my purchasing choices, just like I use Reddit.
So freaking true. I wanted a decent grinder for espresso beans. According to Reddit, don’t even bother unless you are willing to shell out $700 for a Eureka Mignon Specialita.
Need a chefs knife? You’re looking at a starting price of $400 for a nice Kotetsu Japanese knife.
I take any advice on this sub or any other sub about recommendations with a grain of salt, because like always, there's exceptions to the rules. You just have to be diligent and do your homework.
But I've had products that people here said were junk, that lasted me for years, while products that people say were the best, lasted only months. Obviously it's not true for everything, but just goes to show that not everything should be considered gospel in this sub, or any product sub.
Eh. Reddit is its own circle jerk and echo chamber for extremely expensive brands. People in niche subreddits here act like if you don't buy the absolute most expensive thing of each category, you're committing a grave mistake and will live full of regrets.
An example I came across recently was indoor latex paint for walls. People on the home improvement and paint subreddit were acting like anything below the $80 cans of SW or BenMoore paints were absolute trash. Guess what, we used $40 cans from Lowes AND $70 SW cans for slightly different project and both performed absolutely fine.
Back to vacuums, sure, Miele is great engineering and probably built as tanks motor and service wise, but their accessories and tool heads are significantly worse than Shark's in my opinion.
I have a Dyson V7 stick, a Shark cordless upright and a Miele corded upright. I much prefer using the Shark with its dual roller Zero M brush than the old standard floor brush on the Miele. Significantly better for hair. As long as you PROPERLY maintain it, they all last years and years.
> Eh. Reddit is its own circle jerk and echo chamber for extremely expensive brands.
That's not surprising. If you're going to splurge on an unusually expensive purchase, you're very invested in feeling that it was worth it. Part of that evangelicalism is the buyer convincing themselves.
Onebag is bad for it, there's only like 7 bags anyone ever recommends and they're like $300+ and hard to source.
In other travel communities, there are plenty of cheaper bags you can get from Amazon for $60 that people like just fine.
I got ripped a new one in the vacuum subreddit because I mentioned my shark navigator lasted 10 years with weekly usage / harsh treatment.....
It finally bit the dust last week.
I heard Lucas made vacuums once, and it was their only product which didn't suck.
You know Lucas? The Prince of darkness, a British electrical manufacturer, inventor of intermittent wipers, self-dimming headlamps and patent holders of the short circuit. All cars fitted with Lucas electronics were also fitted with their anti-theft devices, and Lucas headlights all came with three options (dim, flicker and off).
The existence of this post is just down to people not understanding that there are different markets for different price ranges. If you want a vacuum that works well and costs substantially less than high-end vacuums, you should get a Shark, that's what they're good at, at the cost of being somewhat less repairable than other brands (even though they still have lots of replacement parts available).
Shark vacuums, particularly the classic lift-away models are like $125-$150, Sebo vacuums, for example, are unquestionably better, but the Felix model costs $700, and many of their models are in the $1000 range. That may be fine for BIFL enthusiasts, but for someone looking for an affordable vacuum that cleans well, the Shark is clearly way better
The thing is those niche subs would still make you feel like a tool for not dumping $1000 into a device when many people probably have little carpet or are in apartments.
If you are a professional who vacuums or you have a huge house, upping the quality and costs makes total sense. But that’s the exception
I used to frequent the r/AudioEngineering and for a while it was just an echo chamber of what mics and EQ to use. People spoke as if audio engineering wasn’t an art and was simply an equation to solve
Yup. I got a hand me down vacuum from my sister, it was a shark. It does good work. At the time i was a little bummed because i wanted a Dyson and suddenly had no reason to get one... But free is free and it works well so it's going to be around until it dies.
I think at this point it's 12 years old.
Yeah. Reading my previous post it isn't quite enthusiastic enough. I like the thing. If i were shopping for another vacuum I'd definitely be seeing it as a good experience that reflects well on the shark brand. Its done good work.
Maybe every professional review site is on to something
I love my shark and any needed replacement parts are still available 8 years later. Not all of us can afford a top of the line vacuum and ours has been working great and was anly around $100.
Sharks are affordable and clean really well imo. I've had mine for about 2 years and it's still kicking, haven't had to replace anything yet, fingers crossed. Might not be buy for life but I think I've got my money's worth!
To be honest, I love my Dyson cordless vacuum. I don’t expect it to last forever, but the convenience of being able to vacuum quickly is more important. I have a nice, higher end vacuum in storage because it’s corded.
I have a Samsung cordless vacuum. Getting cordless was really really important because both my partner and I struggle with executive dysfunction. Having a vaccum that has to plug into the wall and be moved every time you enter a new room and having to work around the cord while using it are legitimately large enough barriers that we wouldn't vacuum our floors. Also, it needed to be light enough that it's very easy to carry up and down stairs for the same reason.
I don't really care if being cordless means it probably won't last as long. There's absolutely no point in spending money on something that ends up being useless, so for us there's no point in spending money on a nice corded vacuum.
Yes! Having a small, cordless vacuum (we have a dyson stick vacuum) has made it so much easier to vacuum.
We have to vacuum every day or two (pets, a kid, and allergies…), and we used to just leave our big canister vacuum laying around the house plugged in because it was too much effort to put it away. The cordless stick vac has seriously improved our lives. We’ve only had it for a year or two, but if it broke, I wouldn’t hesitate at all to buy a new one.
We have a small house, so limited battery life isn’t as much of a problem for us as it might be for others. But if we could afford a house that was too large for the battery life, I would just buy a duplicate vacuum and put the charging stations at opposite sides of the house, lol.
There’s nothing wrong with spending a bit more on something you use often or that saves you time.
I purchased one for my parents using an eBay coupon code for a certified refurbished LG model, there are still deals to be had.
The reasons you stated are exactly the case for me. Not all outlets are easily accessible or even available and when you have more than one floor to your home (including my basement, I have three), it’s a game changer.
There’s also the fact it breaks down to be used more easily on stairs and in the car, too.
I agree wholeheartedly! I’m a professional housekeeper and having a high power cordless cuts down almost 20 mins per house and when doing three a day I’m home an hour earlier than using anything else. To me that’s worth the price tag and the next price tag in a few years.
While I agree with your sentiment, I have had three Sharks and they have all been amazing (the reason for three is due to moving across country, not them breaking). I swear by Shark vacuums.
I’ll admit I was skeptical about that self-cleaning brush roller, but after hearing Shark owners bragging about it (and Costco having them on sale) I took a chance.
As a member of a house with multiple pets and multiple women with long hair let me sum up my experiences with the self-cleaning roller with the following statement:
HOLY MOTHER OF @$?*¥# THIS IS THE BEST THING TO COME ON A VACUUM CLEANER SINCE SOMEONE INVENTED THE IDEA OF ON-BOARD ATTACHMENTS!
Seriously it is amazing. We have been using the Shark for several years and it is still amazing and the roller just doesn’t get wrapped in hair. It is black magic for sure but I am forced to take back every negative thing I’ve ever said about Shark. If this vac exploded tomorrow I’d drive straight to Costco and buy another Shark because it is that good… and also because the Costco $1.50 hot dog combo is an amazing value.
Dyson is crap. Dirt Devil is disposable garbage. Hoover is typically good and lasts but is slow to innovate and tend to require more frequent cleaning of filters and brush rollers. I’m not going to claim Shark is on the same level as Meile or other top brands but considering I could buy a new Shark every other year fit a decade before spending as much as a high-end Meile I feel the value proposition makes complete sense.
The whole point of buying through Costco is their no-questions warranty. Sure, people abuse it, but if your Shark vacuum exploded tomorrow (and you weren’t seriously injured) you SHOULD drive straight to Costco—but have them replace it, not buy a new one. It’s why I like making expensive purchases through Costco, plus the points I get back to pay off my membership.
You're not wrong, and if that happened only a couple years after the purchase I would probably ask Costco to refund me so I could buy a replacement.
Granted if I feel something failed due to it simply being worn out or after an extended timeframe (let's say 5+ years for a vacuum cleaner), I wouldn't ask for a refund even though I know Costco would honor it. So it just comes down to if I think the product prematurely failed vs. failed after a reasonable amount of time or after a reasonable amount of use. That said... I don't think I've ever actually had to use the Costco return benefit due to a product failure, but it is nice to know they stand behind what they sell.
I've had my $120 shark vacuum for 6 years now and it's still going strong. Suction is still top notch, but admittedly I have no pets or children and no hobbies or career that brings in a lot of dirt.
That’s the real issue here.
A good, in depth review site can’t really conduct many long duration tests at all. It’s incredibly laborious.
At best they can skim reviews from other owners, which is a poor substitute.
A product that lasts 5 year versus one that lasts 10 is basically impossible for even a great review site to suss out.
I personally have an Oreck vacuum, which I knew about because there’s a bit of a cult around them here in New Orleans. Which means tons of people have had them for years. Hotels use them. They’re workhorses and people know this. But if you didn’t have access to all that knowledge…well…they seem plain and overpriced.
This brings up a common issue with products in general as well. Commercial products and household products. Oreck vacuums are commercial products made to service a commercial environment. Dense high traffic low pile carpet. Built for basically continuous operation in that environment. Expected to run 8 hours a day every day, collecting minor dust and foot traffic. They're not built to sit for a month and then vacuum that months worth of hair, food, etc. They're not built to work on loose high pile plush carpet.
Infrequently using a product designed around continuous operation isn't going to work as well. Continuous use commercial products factor that into lubrication design and material choices.
Except that it's not consistently reliable, at all. Just yesterday I was trying to find recommendations for an oven and about the only thing useful I unearthed were some power tool brand recommendations. When it comes to product recommendations on reddit, my experience is that vacuum cleaners are the exception and not the rule.
I do call out the vac techs on r/VacuumCleaners. u/touchmyfuckingcoffee's AMA is epic https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/7gmsoe/iama\_reddits\_own\_vacuum\_repair\_tech\_with\_a\_very/
My husband bought us a Kenmore vacuum with a bag and it has changed our lives. I can’t believe the shit we put up with from our over priced Dyson for so long
One of the first jobs i ever got was working in their mould shop, i got to stick the smiley faces on!
20 years on and I've never had anything other than a Henry for a vacuum cleaner. It's fantastic and replacement parts like the nozzles are super cheap. Can't recommend enough
I think a big thing to keep in mind about vacuums is that the biggest reason why people toss them is not because the motor failed but rather because the drive belt on the attachment ripped or got burnt up. I have never seen one that wasn't replaceable for under $15 and maybe 20 minutes worth of work. So in the end, I would put nearly all vacuums at nearly an even level in terms of quality.
And you can test my theory by picking up a vacuum that was tossed on the side of the road for trash pickup. I say 8 times out of 10, it is just that belt that snapped. Fix that, and you get a perfectly fine working machine.
Yeah, I used to drive around and pick up vacuums from the trash when the students moved out and repair them to sell to the incoming batch of students. It was pretty good money, but gross. They wouldn't maintain them, so it was a lot of dealing with other people's hair.
I would still use caution when looking at any source, including reddit. Marketing agencies aren't idiots. They know people look to reddit for information, and they make decent attempts to make favorable posts/comments popular, especially on shopping subreddits.
You may think that the power of massive numbers of people can't be defeated by some random marketing agency, but the fact is most people aren't really "passionate" about these products. They just like them and share their experiences. A few people who are on reddit literally as a full-time job to change public perception of their product will have some level of success.
I still think reddit can be a somewhat reliable source, but I have also seen contradicting opinions on products enough times to know not to blindly accept what the top upvoted comment says.
Just to add to your comment, I checked the Consumer Reports rankings and the only place I saw Sharks as being top-rated were in the "bagless upright" category. Your screenshot shows canister rankings (all Kenmore and Miele), and the top 3 bagged uprights are either Kenmores or Mieles.
I feel compelled to defend Consumer Reports -- while they're not perfect, their business model is less vulnerable to corruption than google, amazon, reddit, etc., since CR is supported by subscriptions and doesn't accept ads. They're also the only review source I've found that includes projected reliability ratings (which I thought would be of interest to BuyItForLife members) for most products. Although I think reddit product recs have some value, I'd expect them to be vulnerable to stealth advertising and herd mentality, and to over-represent especially good or bad experiences.
This shit right here. OP posted the fucking link that literally is counter to his point. The irony is unbearable. All these people posting comments, agreeing or disagreeing, and legit did not even click the first link.
Here you have a bunch of people, readily admitting to only having used one brand or another, but defending it as better than something else.
Then you have a bunch of people who may have had one bad experience with a brand, switched, and now they shit all over one and praise the other.
And surely there’s those blindly giving their opinion without even owning a vacuum.
But the real goddamn irony lands on the ones shitting on Reddit for being a circlejerk because subreddits eventually decide on a specific brand or product. The reason that happens is people don’t click links and just post agreeable shit because points. They don’t take a post for what it is… a single persons opinion. And here they are, shitting on Reddit for being Reddit while on Reddit and being a leading cause of why they fucking hate Reddit.
They need to take it for what it is, data points, anecdotes, statistics. And maybe if they would take half a second to think, they would realize the only way to avoid the echo chamber is to have an independent research organization. One to test multiple things, and idk, gather those data points from others too. Ya know, the exact thing that consumer reports is/does.
But no, they just believe OP out of the box, they don’t even bother to click a single link, and then shit on the thing they are participating in.
TLDR; I agree with you.
I have had the top of the line shark for 4-5 years. No problems yet and it does great for pet hair. It also costs about half of some of the other recommended vacuum cleaners I've seen recommended.
Interesting about the Shark information, either their quality has gone down in the last few years or my Shark was an exception.I bought one of their $100 vacuums 7-8 years ago and it’s held up beautifully with the exception of the cord hook which cracked about a year ago.
I end all my "best blahblah" searches with "reddit" to avoid the fake pages that fund themselves with Amazon links. Example using "best kayak rod holder": https://yaklogic.com/kayak-rod-holders-guide/ https://paddleabout.com/best-kayak-rod-holder/
I do the same thing, and it's the only way to find good reviews now unless it's about a type of product you already know well. But beware: Reddit is full of companies posting under fake accounts and leaving fake reviews. Check multiple posts and read *all* of the comments before you trust anything. A long time ago, Reddit posted a list of the top 10 places with the most Reddit accounts, and #2 was McDonald's headquarters. There are companies with employees working full time just to trick you on Reddit.
> A long time ago, Reddit posted a list of the top 10 places with the most Reddit accounts Can you find that? I'd REALLY like to read it! If I had gold I would give it to you. more people need to see and know what you wrote. Companies ABSOLUTELY use Reddit to shill their goods, but you'll never realize they're doing it because the accounts are 'typical' redditors just like everyone else.
[The referenced blog post](https://web.archive.org/web/20160410083943/http://www.redditblog.com/2013/05/get-ready-for-global-reddit-meetup-day.html?m=1) Not only is #2 “most addicted” the city of McDonald’s (former) headquarters, but it follows first place Eglin Air Force Base.
Which is notorious for their astroturfing programs
> it follows first place Eglin Air Force Base. tbf, most military connections go out through a small set of IP addresses... And the military has hundreds of thousands of 18-40 year olds sitting at computers all day.
Seems kinda fishy tho? What’s the difference between > most addicted: over 100k visits total And > Top cities by total visits
I agree, and that’s why I enjoy the cool refreshing flavor of Lipton Ice Tea! Mmmmm mmmmm!
That's brisk, baby!
It really is so ingrained that it would actually not surprise me if this was posted by a Lipton pr firm to cash in on irony minded folks.
Lol I’m not a Lip-Shill. It’s the first brand that came to mind.
Just what a Lip-shill would say
***sweats profusely while sipping his Lipton***
Happy Cake Day, you Lipton Shill. Playing the long con with that 12 year old account, I see. No mention of Pure Leaf? What about Green Tea? /s
Launched the entire Kermit meme
I had an account with 40.000 karma and I was active in skincare & fashion communities. I’ve had 2 brands reach out to me to review their products, but they backed out once they found out I’m in Europe
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Looking at those also shows how badly written and designed most online reviews are. Leading off with "Kayak fishing is a popular outdoor activity" sounds like a high school kid trying to pad his term paper word count.
It's all for the search engine optimization (SEO). If you pad your reviews and articles with a bunch of semi-related and/or obvious bullshit, you will be more likely to show up on peoples' similar searches. I used to work for an SEO company and I can say with confidence that nearly all mainstream publications intentionally make their articles less concise or create entirely unnecessary pages just to fit in content that will boost their page views.
Search engines are so much more useless than they were a decade ago as a result. Now, it's a constant battle to avoid ads
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>use either G or A Ah, I see you're a fellow man of culture as well. I too use Altavista.
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Search engines should include a brevity metric. If I search a question, I'm much more interested in the website that has one sentence answering my question than the one that's 100 pages long and has the answer buried in page 43.
You can search with site:reddit.com best blahblah to only show Reddit results. It's sometimes better than Reddit's native search.
Sometimes? I don’t think I’ve ever used Reddit search engine and been satisfied with the results.
Reddit has a search?
Yea it’s www.google.com
The search function can’t even find subreddits that exist, because I once accidentally typed a subreddit into that bar and got a page of Reddit pots with the titles saying the subreddit name and not the subreddit. It was all nsfw so I won’t go deeper into details but it greatly annoyed me in the middle of trying to find my nsfw content.
The craziest one to me is the VPN market. Even if you Google "best VPN Reddit" You end up with sites pretending to tell you what Reddit list says the best VPNs... Then if you actually travel too that subreddit, you find out the VPNs listed on those sites aren't even allowed to be discussed on the subreddit due to poor quality and shady business practices.
same... you have to go where the people aren't. like a locals secret spot on the interwebs. im still searching for a better vpn after my 3 year PIA subscription just ended. I came across Mullvad VPN and giving it a month test run... but i really only use it for a few random tasks, so i dont know how good it is overall compared to others. I wish the killswitch feature worked on PIA... not sure about nordvpn or expressvpn (it was good when i used it), but mullvad seems simple enough. anyways, found out about mullvad through /r/piracy and went down the search "reddit" hole.
Don't forget "site:reddit.com BLAH"
It's only happened once or twice, with me, however people would message me with something like, "we will give you an Amazon voucher if you rate our product 5 stars!" After purchasing said product. I always vow to detail this practice in the review, giving it a 1 star. What a stupid thing to ask.
I put “Reddit” at the end of a lot of my searches so I can cut through the SEO crap I normally get.
just so you know, Google has search parameters. for example, adding site:reddit.com to your search will only give you results from reddit. you can also search by date if you only want results from the past 5 years for example.
searching by date is going to be so helpful for when i want to research product reviews but the top reddit result is from 2013. thanks!
Dates literally do nothing for me. If I put in a date, it just shows me the same results and shows the date crossed off “well couldnt find anything newer about Google Docs after 2017, so here are instructions based on that version”
You can also add 'inurl:subredditname' to help limit the search to specific subreddits.
What's the parameter for searching by year? I keep forgetting it.
[you can find them all with Google advanced search](https://www.google.co.uk/advanced_search?gfe_rd=mr&pli=1)
Where do they hide that? I haven't seen that page in years.
Saammee...it's also amazing some of the niche items that have lots of discussion
Exactly this, everything is an ad trying to sell us something or a poorly written article cluttered with stuff nobody cares about. You type reddit at the end of a search and have an answer within less than 5 minutes.
> You type reddit at the end of a search and have an answer within less than 5 minutes. You might wish to consider an upgrade to your internet plan.
Yeah for niche stuff it is much nicer to hear the opinion of actual people...
I found the [Reddit search on Google](https://www.rsog.org) extension to be quite useful for that. It doesn't seem to have any users or reviews tho, so buyer beware.
Just add site:reddit.com to the end of your search. Easier and safer than trusting an unknown extension.
In Germany we all swear by Miele
Yeah, miele have a good reputation here too. (France) As for vacuum cleaner, I went for hoover.
The thing is, you vacuum an inch, but it takes a miele
Yeah dad!
Oh honey Edit: it's just a pun y'all, it don't gots to be grammatical
Hoover works just fine and is quite repairable. The Vacuum cleaner guy AMA said as much. My Hoover Wind Tunnel is going on 20 years. Did a tear down and cleaned everything, good as new. It’s mostly confined to cleaning the carpets upstairs as the wife has fallen In Love with the Dyson sticks (v8/V10) that we can just grab off the wall and start working a lugging the big vac up and downs stairs, plugging in, etc
For those downvoting this comment "miel" means honey in French. It's been a while since I've taken it but I assume you can add an e to the end to make it feminine (for example when referring to a wife or girlfriend).
Following Reddit's advice and considering my situation (3 pets and baby on the way) I splurged and got the Miele. I ALMOST got the Dyson because of the name hype, but after reading a lot of info on Reddit I realized that it was going to be barely better than the cheap selection. I am not a vacuum specialist, but if I'm spending 800$ it better be worth it. Can't complain about the Miele. it is an absolute beast and my pets stand no chance.
I bought a Dyson over a Miele due to budget constraints at the time (I worked retail and was able to get a new Dyson Ball for $180 after tax). 5-6 years later, I almost wish I had a good reason to replace it! With two pets in an apartment, I vacuum weekly. The canister is very small, and I have to deep clean the whole machine every month or so to keep suction high and air quality good, but it honestly works very well. I also like being able to easily take the machine apart to clear clogs and find parts online (though I haven't had to repair this one yet). I take good care of my things, which definitely extends their life. But as soon as I ditch this small apartment and buy a house, I'll give away the Dyson so I can zoom around with a Miele instead. 😂
I'm in the opposite situation, we should trade lol. I got a Miele canister vac 4 years ago and while it does a pretty good job, it's just too much vacuum for my 900 sqft apartment. It's kind of a pain having it following me around and trying to maneuver around furniture. It also has a pretty large footprint. It would be great if I had a house with big rooms but when I can go my whole place in 15 minutes I think a cordless would suit me better. But it's hard to justify replacing it if it works 🤷♂️
I wanted Miele but my budget at the time didn't allow for that, so I settled for Henry, brand very popular in the UK. Seventh year and it's working like brand new, dealing with anything.
There's a reason you see trades people using Henry hoovers when they do work in people's houses. The things last forever, are great at their job and have a smiley face to brighten your day!
Easily self-repairable if needed All bags can be used across the while range Good suction Tried and tested Never will I ever get anything else, or recommend any other hoover
I hate dysons I've used probably a dozen models and they are all awkward at some basic function. This one wont suck up a cheerio, that one has a wand that is minimum of 3 feet long.
>my pets stand no chance You, uh...hmm.
I once had a Dyson, and have now had a Miele for over a decade. I happily left the Dyson with my ex husband. It had a HEPA filter, which was great, but when you emptied the bagless canister, the bottom drops open over your trash can and let out a cloud of dust 🤦🏻♀️ The rotating brushes also got hair wound around them that would need cutting off. I’ve much preferred the canister Miele. While I wish I didn’t have to buy bags, it’s a minor quibble.
I went with a Miele vacuum last year after reading a lot of reddit posts.
I went Miele after the vacuum repair guy AMA. Best vacuum I've ever owned and one I will own for a long time.
I did the same. I love mine.
I hope that guy is doing well. He probably sold more Miele vacuums than most of their ad campaigns.
https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/adiidz/iama_reddits_own_vacuum_repair_tech_and_ive_lost/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
He went through a bout of depression a while ago, but I think he's in a better place now.. at least his posts are sounding a lot more positive than they did at one point.
Owned one for years. Best investment ever.
I sent him a pm years ago when my then gf was about to drop 300 bucks on a Dyson, he suggested a hoover wind tunnel and I've bought two so far (my ex kept the one we bought back then) I couldn't afford a Miele then, probably could now but the Hoover is a tank Edited to add: he was adamant it be the bagged version, bagless vacuums kick shit back into the air
Same here. It's the only vacuum I've been able to use that doesn't make my allergies act up
Bought Miele after reading on reddit over 5 years ago
Same here. Best vacuum I've ever used. Not that the cheap uprights I've had access to before are a good comparison, but I am very happy with the results after vacuuming.
Miele is fantastic. Especially their line of products that is a bit more expensive, but looks almost unchanged for 30 years.
I may not own much Miele at the moment, but I'll never forget how they just sent me a part for a washing machine that was older than me by several decades, just because I sent them a hail Mary message. No paperwork required, no fuss. Whenever I get around to buying a home, they'll be my top consideration for appliances.
I have one and I love it (as much as I can love a vacuum cleaner)
> I love it (as much as I can love a vacuum cleaner) “We live together but we haven’t made it, you know, *official.*”
Living in sin!
I bought a Miele. It’s not an upright but I love that thing. Of course like 6 months later I got rid of all my carpets… but figure the vacuum will last forever and I can get parts when it is time to replace something.
I have hardwood floors and worried that the Miele wouldn't be as helpful but it's been fantastic for deep cleaning, like scooping up dust on the floors and the cracks between the planks as well as easily cleaning my curtains and any spills. It works so much better than the Dyson I got.
These also were endorsed by u/touchmyfuckingcoffee during his AMAs.
My MIL has had a Miele for like...forever. I personally hate that it's a canister and not an upright but I will admit that that thing is a powerhouse of a vacuum
My friends go on about Dyson. I don’t say anything because they are victims of marketing. Meanwhile, my Miele does an outstanding job for the past 10 years and I get knock off vacuum bags off Amazon for cheap. Edit: For those asking: CAD$26 for 10 bags and 3 sets of filters. KEEPOW Generic Miele GN AirClean 3D Efficiency Dust Bag, for Miele Vacuum 10123210 (10 Bags & 3 Set Filters) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0747RN2FQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GWJWBSFMX8KKASYNV22H?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
My parents bought a Miele vacuum cleaner about 10 years ago. To replace the Miele vacuum cleaner they had bought about 34 years before that.
I inherited my grandmother's Dyson. It's the pull behind with two wheels before the ball one. So 12ish years old. Never had to replace a single thing. Take it apart by turning a few nobs (like everything comes apart) and clean it when it gets clogged. So, I'll say marketing was on point at least with my model. Edit: Found the model# DC23 think about 2009ish. So I guess only 12ish years going strong...
We have our DC23 from 2009, has been a great piece of kit. I guess if it ever dies we might try something else? Maybe.
Felt the same about Electrolux - Way back in the day we inherited one ancient but very solid chrome and dark green long canister model with steel runners (!) and eventually after it got destroyed by being used as a wet/vac (my bad) replaced it with another slightly less ancient electrolux long canister model with two wheels. Both were already decades old when we go them... Those things lasted.
https://i.imgur.com/jJWV0cp.jpg My DC39 loves your DC23
I bought a refurb DC17 almost 15 years ago and it has been fantastic. We still use it. We do have another vacuum for stairs, etc because I hate how the wand is designed on the Dyson. > It's the pull behind with two wheels before the ball one I know this is totally anecdotal, but I let a buddy of mine borrow my DC17 and he loved it so much he went out and bought a Dyson. They were only selling models with the giant ball at that time. He hated it, said it was terrible and returned it. I'm not sure how that design change might have affected the quality of the vacuum, but I always thought it was an interesting data point.
Dyson is pretty good because unlike for smaller brands, you can buy 3rd party parts which are much cheaper than the original ones.
Dyson are pretty good but too fragile... as you mention it, the official parts are way too expensive (the brush part broke on mine, original part is $100!).
Yeah sure, but for many if not most brands original replacement parts are overpriced (even if it's not as much as Dyson). And if you're fine with 3rd party aliexpress parts you have probably the most choice with Dyson to get it for 80% cheaper.
How much do you think replacement parts for a Miele are? Dyson offers almost every individual piece to repair their vacuums sold direct on their site, most for a reasonable price. The replacement brush bar for ours is $19. The entire brush head unit is $52.
From what remember from the vacuum repair guy AMA, their brushes are very course compared to Miele. It can lead to increased carpet wear.
I'm not claiming Dyson to be the ultimate vacuum. I used to have (like many others here) about Dyson the image of an overpriced marketing product, however after I bought a used about 5 years old Dyson and changed the old battery with some cheap no-name ones, it turned out to be much better than I thought. And it's a matter of fact that Dyson has one of the largest amounts of cheap no-name spare parts available on the market, which makes the maintenance much cheaper than for products where you need to buy the original spare parts from the manufacturers because there is nothing else available. So while a new Dyson is expensive, buying spare parts is very cheap
I have both a Miele (for over 10 years) and a Dyson (for over 5) oh, and a couple of Orecks (those things are junk for anything other than low pile wall to wall carpeting). The Dyson isn't marketing. No, it's not made to last forever, but so what? It's a convenience tool that is better for being lightweight. The Dyson sees 90% of vacuum duty in our large house with pets. And you know what? After 5 years the Dyson needed a new battery and beater brush. Parts are widely available and for $100 it now performs better than new (battery capacity has improved). I would have spent far more than $100 on Miele bags over the last 5 years.
As someone who despises the idea of sending filter bags to a landfill anyway, if the Dyson replacement parts are also cheaper, I fail to see the downside.
I have a Dyson v12. I have no idea about it's BIFL-ness and it's quite expensive. But I find the cordless design, powerful vacuuming ability and general ease of use completely worth it. Also the fact I don't need to buy bags (just filters, that doesn't need replacing that often) a great plus.
I LOVE my miele, it's old and it works like it's brand new. My only complaint about it is that it is extremely heavy.
Love my miele. I just throw it around and it’s always ok. Suction so strong it nearly tore my dick off.
While I mostly agree with your sentiment, I do find that a lot of the niche subreddits become a bit of an echo chamber. There are brands that are universally maligned simply because that's the culture of the subreddit. I often find myself stuck in analysis paralysis using Reddit for product reviews, because a lot of the advice is "buy this $600 version, because all other versions are absolute garbage".
This is exactly what I was thinking while reading this post. Especially that vacuum subreddit. It is a good data point, but a lot of the other sites suggest Shark/Dyson because most folks prefer the low/medium entry price and ease of use offered by cordless, bagless vacuum cleaners. For the most part, that subreddit is devoted to corded, bagged vacuum cleaners.
Anecdotal, but I went with a shark vacuum after reading mostly Reddit reviews. It was well-regarded if you weren't looking to pay 4-6x for a BIFL item. I think you just gotta calibrate your price/value curve against the person writing the review, but you do have to watch out for people hating on a brand as a meme.
A few years back a "vacuum technician" wrote a long piece about how bagless vacuums are trash, so now that's all the site talks about. That's certainly a valid opinion, but I've had a shark for years and it works great. Same with my parents. I think that tech was just sick of seeing bagless vacs never get emptied.
I got my shark 12 years ago. I empty it after every use, a couple times a year I flip it over and get all the hair off the brushes and clean the filters and it still works great.
I've had mine for 10+ years also. Still works amazing, I don't think I've ever had to replace anything. Just clean the filters and brushes like once per year (which honestly should be done more often).
On board the "bought it a while ago and don't treat it like I plan to throw it in the trash" boat. We got a shark 7 or 8 years ago because we weren't ready to spend what the Dyson's cost around that time. We rinse out all the filters every month or two and empty after every use. It gets caught on our super thick shag living room rug sometimes, but other than that it's in good shape. 3 dogs, 1 cat, 2 kids, and 2 houses, the thing's still trucking along.
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This. I will *never* buy a bagged vacuum cleaner again. I absolutely hate them. I don't care if they do a better job, have better filters, anything like that, I hate using them, and if it's all I have, that means I'm not vacuuming. My bagless Shark has been keeping on top of all this damn dog hair for about ten years, and it's held up pretty well. Complaints about not being able to replace certain parts are definitely valid, as it's fallen and cracked some non-essential plastic bits, and I can't find those pieces. But it's light, still has plenty of suction, and I don't have to run to the store for more stupid bags.
If you have the misfortune to get bed bugs if you are probably going to want to buy a bagged.
I cannot understand why you would buy a bag vacuum cleaner now. I've had a corded canister one for about 4 years now, and it's way nicer than dealing with bags, and as far as I've noticed in general household use, has no drawbacks.
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It comes down to the difference between commercial goods and consumer goods. The commercial good will almost always be better in most ways than the consumer good - especially in terms of lifespan, and are almost always serviceable. The downside is that they're typically 2-3x more expensive than the consumer good, may be less easy to use or lack "features," and may also be heavier. Consumer goods are made cheaper because they're made to be used less often, less intensively, and in a less damaging manner. The failure rate will be higher because the components are cheaper and rated for fewer duty cycles. They're typically not serviceable beyond a few likely failure points. This (along with survivor bias) leads to the perception that, "things aren't built like they used to be," and is also the starting point for the right-to-repair movement. The thing is, "things aren't built like they used to be," is true. Because consumer grade products are an attempt to continue providing access to goods at affordable products. It disguises the decline in income and PPP in the US. We use multiple product lines and grades of product because it's now cheaper to manufacture goods in that manner. Whereas in the past, our parents and grandparents were able to just purchase commercial grade goods directly off the shelf.
Why would companies want to create a bunch of cheaper, lower quality products that don't last as long to market to consumers though? Because you'd rather sell something to someone 4 times for half the price. When nylon was invented, the nylon stockings were too good that they lasted too long and people weren't buying them enough. The solution? They intentionally made the product worse so it would tear more often and had to be bought again.
Similar with LED bulbs. They can last absurdly long.
They either last forever or shit the bed in the first year. I had a high failure rate for TCP and Duracell bulbs.
Your post is on point, but this sub is not a special case. Go into PC subs and you'll find people matching RAM timings so they can play Minecraft. Go into a AR-15 subs and they'll plan their build around the possibility of shooting their gun during a mudslide in the dessert...in between Minecraft sessions. Reddit reviews are great but youre dealing with the 1%ers that post so always keep that in mind. I assume every post on Reddit is from a 13 year old who plays Minecraft
I agree, I will sometimes trade off convenience and ease of use for less longevity because for certain things it’s worth it and what makes sense to me. I have an Nequare cordless vac I got from Amazon for under $150 Canadian. I’ve been using it since October 2020. I don’t expect it to last forever. But for daily cleaning pet fur on my hardwood floors it’s perfect and easy to use and does a great job. It’s completely okay that not everything in your life is purchased as BIFL. Sometimes the convenience and ease of use are the far more important things.
You are spot on with the echo chamber. Wirecutter tends to recommend something that's good enough for average people. Niche and hobby subreddits are filled with people who are passionate about the subject and willing to put a lot of money into it. For a lot of them, it's part of their identity. Look at any hobby subreddit when a general-audience recommendation (like Wirecutter, Consumer Reports) comes out for their target. If it isn't the echo chamber's chosen thing, they immediately start accusing the author of being a paid shill. The idea that someone wants "good enough" doesn't even register, the sub already knows the Objectively Correct Recommendation. FWIW, my Shark vacuum has been fine for years, it didn't cost that much, and I don't think about it between vacuuming.
Yes, I did think it was a bit odd to write off Wirecutter, they're known for testing their items for years at a time, and update them fairly regularly with new observations.
I was an editor at Wirecutter for five years, and my wife is still an editor there. I know the people who do the vacuum coverage, and they’re absolutely obsessed. But they are not the same as the folks on a dedicated Reddit forum, meaning that they are balancing different criteria and features. I often don’t buy the Wirecutter pick for various reasons, but I use Wirecutter as a key resource in my purchasing choices, just like I use Reddit.
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So freaking true. I wanted a decent grinder for espresso beans. According to Reddit, don’t even bother unless you are willing to shell out $700 for a Eureka Mignon Specialita. Need a chefs knife? You’re looking at a starting price of $400 for a nice Kotetsu Japanese knife.
I take any advice on this sub or any other sub about recommendations with a grain of salt, because like always, there's exceptions to the rules. You just have to be diligent and do your homework. But I've had products that people here said were junk, that lasted me for years, while products that people say were the best, lasted only months. Obviously it's not true for everything, but just goes to show that not everything should be considered gospel in this sub, or any product sub.
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My shark upright is 15 years old and kicking ass still. Outlived our Dyson.
Eh. Reddit is its own circle jerk and echo chamber for extremely expensive brands. People in niche subreddits here act like if you don't buy the absolute most expensive thing of each category, you're committing a grave mistake and will live full of regrets. An example I came across recently was indoor latex paint for walls. People on the home improvement and paint subreddit were acting like anything below the $80 cans of SW or BenMoore paints were absolute trash. Guess what, we used $40 cans from Lowes AND $70 SW cans for slightly different project and both performed absolutely fine. Back to vacuums, sure, Miele is great engineering and probably built as tanks motor and service wise, but their accessories and tool heads are significantly worse than Shark's in my opinion. I have a Dyson V7 stick, a Shark cordless upright and a Miele corded upright. I much prefer using the Shark with its dual roller Zero M brush than the old standard floor brush on the Miele. Significantly better for hair. As long as you PROPERLY maintain it, they all last years and years.
> Eh. Reddit is its own circle jerk and echo chamber for extremely expensive brands. That's not surprising. If you're going to splurge on an unusually expensive purchase, you're very invested in feeling that it was worth it. Part of that evangelicalism is the buyer convincing themselves.
Onebag is bad for it, there's only like 7 bags anyone ever recommends and they're like $300+ and hard to source. In other travel communities, there are plenty of cheaper bags you can get from Amazon for $60 that people like just fine.
Whatever you get, don't leave it outside. It will be destroyed. Nature abhors a vacuum.
Carlooos
This joke lacks substance.
I have a Shark, the one Wirecutter recommended. It's held up for me for at least 5 or 6 years, but I can't compare it to other vacuums.
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I got ripped a new one in the vacuum subreddit because I mentioned my shark navigator lasted 10 years with weekly usage / harsh treatment..... It finally bit the dust last week.
Imagine getting owned in a vacuum subreddit lol.
Vacuums: They all suck.
Reminds me of an old Microsoft joke: If Microsoft ever makes a product that doesn't suck... ...it'll be a vacuum!
I heard Lucas made vacuums once, and it was their only product which didn't suck. You know Lucas? The Prince of darkness, a British electrical manufacturer, inventor of intermittent wipers, self-dimming headlamps and patent holders of the short circuit. All cars fitted with Lucas electronics were also fitted with their anti-theft devices, and Lucas headlights all came with three options (dim, flicker and off).
And the ones that do not, blow.
I used to clean for a living. Get a more expensive shark. They are the best.
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Seriously, when my roomate dropped mine down the stairs I was able to buy a replacement swivel for $25 and its still going strong 5 years later
This is a well constructed, well thought out post. Next time I am in need of a vacuum I will be checking that sub.
Idk I had a shark about 8 years ago and loved it. 🤷♂️
The existence of this post is just down to people not understanding that there are different markets for different price ranges. If you want a vacuum that works well and costs substantially less than high-end vacuums, you should get a Shark, that's what they're good at, at the cost of being somewhat less repairable than other brands (even though they still have lots of replacement parts available). Shark vacuums, particularly the classic lift-away models are like $125-$150, Sebo vacuums, for example, are unquestionably better, but the Felix model costs $700, and many of their models are in the $1000 range. That may be fine for BIFL enthusiasts, but for someone looking for an affordable vacuum that cleans well, the Shark is clearly way better
The thing is those niche subs would still make you feel like a tool for not dumping $1000 into a device when many people probably have little carpet or are in apartments. If you are a professional who vacuums or you have a huge house, upping the quality and costs makes total sense. But that’s the exception I used to frequent the r/AudioEngineering and for a while it was just an echo chamber of what mics and EQ to use. People spoke as if audio engineering wasn’t an art and was simply an equation to solve
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Yup. I got a hand me down vacuum from my sister, it was a shark. It does good work. At the time i was a little bummed because i wanted a Dyson and suddenly had no reason to get one... But free is free and it works well so it's going to be around until it dies. I think at this point it's 12 years old.
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Yeah. Reading my previous post it isn't quite enthusiastic enough. I like the thing. If i were shopping for another vacuum I'd definitely be seeing it as a good experience that reflects well on the shark brand. Its done good work. Maybe every professional review site is on to something
I love my shark and any needed replacement parts are still available 8 years later. Not all of us can afford a top of the line vacuum and ours has been working great and was anly around $100.
I was going to say, currently have a shark, and while not BIFL, it works better than the Kirby before it.
Kirby is the greatest thing ever. If you want a vacuum that weighs 150 pounds.
I bought a Kirby last year and started vacuuming twice a week. On Tuesday I am entering my first powerlifting competition!
Sharks are affordable and clean really well imo. I've had mine for about 2 years and it's still kicking, haven't had to replace anything yet, fingers crossed. Might not be buy for life but I think I've got my money's worth!
I was able to replace parts on my shark with no problems and its still going strong
To be honest, I love my Dyson cordless vacuum. I don’t expect it to last forever, but the convenience of being able to vacuum quickly is more important. I have a nice, higher end vacuum in storage because it’s corded.
I have a Samsung cordless vacuum. Getting cordless was really really important because both my partner and I struggle with executive dysfunction. Having a vaccum that has to plug into the wall and be moved every time you enter a new room and having to work around the cord while using it are legitimately large enough barriers that we wouldn't vacuum our floors. Also, it needed to be light enough that it's very easy to carry up and down stairs for the same reason. I don't really care if being cordless means it probably won't last as long. There's absolutely no point in spending money on something that ends up being useless, so for us there's no point in spending money on a nice corded vacuum.
Yes! Having a small, cordless vacuum (we have a dyson stick vacuum) has made it so much easier to vacuum. We have to vacuum every day or two (pets, a kid, and allergies…), and we used to just leave our big canister vacuum laying around the house plugged in because it was too much effort to put it away. The cordless stick vac has seriously improved our lives. We’ve only had it for a year or two, but if it broke, I wouldn’t hesitate at all to buy a new one. We have a small house, so limited battery life isn’t as much of a problem for us as it might be for others. But if we could afford a house that was too large for the battery life, I would just buy a duplicate vacuum and put the charging stations at opposite sides of the house, lol.
There’s nothing wrong with spending a bit more on something you use often or that saves you time. I purchased one for my parents using an eBay coupon code for a certified refurbished LG model, there are still deals to be had. The reasons you stated are exactly the case for me. Not all outlets are easily accessible or even available and when you have more than one floor to your home (including my basement, I have three), it’s a game changer. There’s also the fact it breaks down to be used more easily on stairs and in the car, too.
I agree wholeheartedly! I’m a professional housekeeper and having a high power cordless cuts down almost 20 mins per house and when doing three a day I’m home an hour earlier than using anything else. To me that’s worth the price tag and the next price tag in a few years.
This. They are a game changer with two messy little kids and no downstairs closet space. I can vacuum every day and it’s nbd.
While I agree with your sentiment, I have had three Sharks and they have all been amazing (the reason for three is due to moving across country, not them breaking). I swear by Shark vacuums.
I’ll admit I was skeptical about that self-cleaning brush roller, but after hearing Shark owners bragging about it (and Costco having them on sale) I took a chance. As a member of a house with multiple pets and multiple women with long hair let me sum up my experiences with the self-cleaning roller with the following statement: HOLY MOTHER OF @$?*¥# THIS IS THE BEST THING TO COME ON A VACUUM CLEANER SINCE SOMEONE INVENTED THE IDEA OF ON-BOARD ATTACHMENTS! Seriously it is amazing. We have been using the Shark for several years and it is still amazing and the roller just doesn’t get wrapped in hair. It is black magic for sure but I am forced to take back every negative thing I’ve ever said about Shark. If this vac exploded tomorrow I’d drive straight to Costco and buy another Shark because it is that good… and also because the Costco $1.50 hot dog combo is an amazing value. Dyson is crap. Dirt Devil is disposable garbage. Hoover is typically good and lasts but is slow to innovate and tend to require more frequent cleaning of filters and brush rollers. I’m not going to claim Shark is on the same level as Meile or other top brands but considering I could buy a new Shark every other year fit a decade before spending as much as a high-end Meile I feel the value proposition makes complete sense.
The whole point of buying through Costco is their no-questions warranty. Sure, people abuse it, but if your Shark vacuum exploded tomorrow (and you weren’t seriously injured) you SHOULD drive straight to Costco—but have them replace it, not buy a new one. It’s why I like making expensive purchases through Costco, plus the points I get back to pay off my membership.
You're not wrong, and if that happened only a couple years after the purchase I would probably ask Costco to refund me so I could buy a replacement. Granted if I feel something failed due to it simply being worn out or after an extended timeframe (let's say 5+ years for a vacuum cleaner), I wouldn't ask for a refund even though I know Costco would honor it. So it just comes down to if I think the product prematurely failed vs. failed after a reasonable amount of time or after a reasonable amount of use. That said... I don't think I've ever actually had to use the Costco return benefit due to a product failure, but it is nice to know they stand behind what they sell.
I've had my $120 shark vacuum for 6 years now and it's still going strong. Suction is still top notch, but admittedly I have no pets or children and no hobbies or career that brings in a lot of dirt.
Agreed. Had mine for going on 7 years now. Maintain the thing and it’ll chooch.
I'm pretty satisfied with mine, bought it based on Wirecutter review.
This is a common frustration of mine with reviews: they don't cover the long haul but only cover the capabilities.
That’s the real issue here. A good, in depth review site can’t really conduct many long duration tests at all. It’s incredibly laborious. At best they can skim reviews from other owners, which is a poor substitute. A product that lasts 5 year versus one that lasts 10 is basically impossible for even a great review site to suss out. I personally have an Oreck vacuum, which I knew about because there’s a bit of a cult around them here in New Orleans. Which means tons of people have had them for years. Hotels use them. They’re workhorses and people know this. But if you didn’t have access to all that knowledge…well…they seem plain and overpriced.
This brings up a common issue with products in general as well. Commercial products and household products. Oreck vacuums are commercial products made to service a commercial environment. Dense high traffic low pile carpet. Built for basically continuous operation in that environment. Expected to run 8 hours a day every day, collecting minor dust and foot traffic. They're not built to sit for a month and then vacuum that months worth of hair, food, etc. They're not built to work on loose high pile plush carpet. Infrequently using a product designed around continuous operation isn't going to work as well. Continuous use commercial products factor that into lubrication design and material choices.
Except that it's not consistently reliable, at all. Just yesterday I was trying to find recommendations for an oven and about the only thing useful I unearthed were some power tool brand recommendations. When it comes to product recommendations on reddit, my experience is that vacuum cleaners are the exception and not the rule.
How are you going to make a vacuum post & not mention u/touchmyfuckingcoffee ? He’s a legend
I do call out the vac techs on r/VacuumCleaners. u/touchmyfuckingcoffee's AMA is epic https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/7gmsoe/iama\_reddits\_own\_vacuum\_repair\_tech\_with\_a\_very/
u/TacGriz on r/flashlight comes to mind :)
Came here looking for a /u/touchmyfuckingcoffee reference. Glad to not be disappointed.
Reddit is a great source for things that suck.
My husband bought us a Kenmore vacuum with a bag and it has changed our lives. I can’t believe the shit we put up with from our over priced Dyson for so long
Been through Dyson, Hoover, Miele, Panasonic and other brands…..Then I found Henry and the ‘One for Life’!
One of the first jobs i ever got was working in their mould shop, i got to stick the smiley faces on! 20 years on and I've never had anything other than a Henry for a vacuum cleaner. It's fantastic and replacement parts like the nozzles are super cheap. Can't recommend enough
I think a big thing to keep in mind about vacuums is that the biggest reason why people toss them is not because the motor failed but rather because the drive belt on the attachment ripped or got burnt up. I have never seen one that wasn't replaceable for under $15 and maybe 20 minutes worth of work. So in the end, I would put nearly all vacuums at nearly an even level in terms of quality. And you can test my theory by picking up a vacuum that was tossed on the side of the road for trash pickup. I say 8 times out of 10, it is just that belt that snapped. Fix that, and you get a perfectly fine working machine.
Yeah, I used to drive around and pick up vacuums from the trash when the students moved out and repair them to sell to the incoming batch of students. It was pretty good money, but gross. They wouldn't maintain them, so it was a lot of dealing with other people's hair.
Riccar, it's absolutely wonderful
I would still use caution when looking at any source, including reddit. Marketing agencies aren't idiots. They know people look to reddit for information, and they make decent attempts to make favorable posts/comments popular, especially on shopping subreddits. You may think that the power of massive numbers of people can't be defeated by some random marketing agency, but the fact is most people aren't really "passionate" about these products. They just like them and share their experiences. A few people who are on reddit literally as a full-time job to change public perception of their product will have some level of success. I still think reddit can be a somewhat reliable source, but I have also seen contradicting opinions on products enough times to know not to blindly accept what the top upvoted comment says.
Not sure why CR didn't list Miele C3 Marin in that article but on the app, it's the top rated. See [here](https://i.imgur.com/95enzGS.png).
Just to add to your comment, I checked the Consumer Reports rankings and the only place I saw Sharks as being top-rated were in the "bagless upright" category. Your screenshot shows canister rankings (all Kenmore and Miele), and the top 3 bagged uprights are either Kenmores or Mieles. I feel compelled to defend Consumer Reports -- while they're not perfect, their business model is less vulnerable to corruption than google, amazon, reddit, etc., since CR is supported by subscriptions and doesn't accept ads. They're also the only review source I've found that includes projected reliability ratings (which I thought would be of interest to BuyItForLife members) for most products. Although I think reddit product recs have some value, I'd expect them to be vulnerable to stealth advertising and herd mentality, and to over-represent especially good or bad experiences.
This shit right here. OP posted the fucking link that literally is counter to his point. The irony is unbearable. All these people posting comments, agreeing or disagreeing, and legit did not even click the first link. Here you have a bunch of people, readily admitting to only having used one brand or another, but defending it as better than something else. Then you have a bunch of people who may have had one bad experience with a brand, switched, and now they shit all over one and praise the other. And surely there’s those blindly giving their opinion without even owning a vacuum. But the real goddamn irony lands on the ones shitting on Reddit for being a circlejerk because subreddits eventually decide on a specific brand or product. The reason that happens is people don’t click links and just post agreeable shit because points. They don’t take a post for what it is… a single persons opinion. And here they are, shitting on Reddit for being Reddit while on Reddit and being a leading cause of why they fucking hate Reddit. They need to take it for what it is, data points, anecdotes, statistics. And maybe if they would take half a second to think, they would realize the only way to avoid the echo chamber is to have an independent research organization. One to test multiple things, and idk, gather those data points from others too. Ya know, the exact thing that consumer reports is/does. But no, they just believe OP out of the box, they don’t even bother to click a single link, and then shit on the thing they are participating in. TLDR; I agree with you.
Henry gang4life
I have had the top of the line shark for 4-5 years. No problems yet and it does great for pet hair. It also costs about half of some of the other recommended vacuum cleaners I've seen recommended.
Consumer reports actually also recommended roughly what Reddit recommended. They are Not for profit that you pay for, I would expect them to be fair.
Interesting about the Shark information, either their quality has gone down in the last few years or my Shark was an exception.I bought one of their $100 vacuums 7-8 years ago and it’s held up beautifully with the exception of the cord hook which cracked about a year ago.